The present invention relates to an odor dispensing device comprising a housing and a disc shaped dispensing cartridge adapted to move around its rotation axis and having a plurality of discrete radically arranged compartments, each compartment containing an odorant on an odorant carrier, said housing containing means for positioning the cartridge, means for producing an airstream to a pre-selected compartment in response to a signal emanating from a computer control module, a microprocessor, an optical system or a timing mechanism and means for temporarily subjecting the odor carrier within the compartment to the airstream so that an odor is discharged from the cartridge and entrained in the airstream, and to an odor dispensing cartridge.
Personal computers and microprocessors are now routinely used in all aspects of life and the introduction of multi-media and virtual reality technology is widespread in business, leisure and educational environments. The multi-media industry in particular has made significant technological advances in enhancing the video graphics and audio playback quality of their products. Virtual reality is specifically intended to simulate the real world as closely as possible allowing a participant to take a view in three dimensional space. Virtual reality technology now allows production of sound within the virtual world and to a more limited extent, tactile capability.
In order to enhance further the experience created by multi-media or virtual reality, it will be necessary to develop the technology to include the capability to use the senses of smell and taste as well.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an odor dispensing device and an odor dispensing cartridge for dispensing odors in conjunction with multi-media or virtual reality technology to enhance the real life effect, especially in conjunction with computer games, videos or television and/or music.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an odor dispensing device and an odor dispensing cartridge to dispense odors into an interior atmosphere, especially to refresh the atmosphere surrounding people in living rooms, motor cars and in public transport.
It is therefore a further object of the present invention to provide an odor dispensing cartridge and a device for its use to dispense selectively a plurality of odors or fragrances.
Numerous devices have been previously proposed for releasing fragrances into an interior atmosphere in order to stimulate the olfactory sense. Such devices are often referred to generically as xe2x80x9cair freshenerxe2x80x9d devices.
Typically such air freshener devices release fragrance by passive evaporation or by employing an active release mechanism such as a pressurized aerosol mechanism which can by manually or automatically operated.
It is known that the intensity of a released fragrance decreases with time elapsing from the instant of fragrance emission and therefore repeated release of fragrance can be necessary to maintain a desired fragrance intensity.
Accordingly, it is another object of the present invention to provide a device for dispensing interactively an odor into an interior atmosphere.
It is also suggested that xe2x80x9cfragrance fatiguexe2x80x9d can occur whereby a persons olfactory organ becomes xe2x80x9csaturatedxe2x80x9d with a particular smell or fragrance and thus the individual becomes insensitive to the presence of the particular fragrance.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide, in general an odor dispensing device and an odor dispensing cartridge to dispense selectively a plurality of odors or fragrances as desired for supporting sales activities, e.g. in perfumeries, and/or only for pleasure of a person.
A device for delivering odoriferous substances intended for dispersal in the air or air mixtures, in particular individual odors, is already disclosed in WO 97/02076.
The proposed device, the so-called scent compact diskette, comprises a flat disc shaped cartridge through which pass a number of separate channels substantially parallel to the top face and bottom face and which are directed radially. The channels are formed by an upper diskette half, a lower diskette half and lateral channel divisions in the form of two-sided, elongated dividing ribs in the diskette. They thus form small, radially arranged flat tunnels. The odoriferous substances, which may be partly the same or all different, are introduced into the channels or the odoriferous substances are introduced in gastight reservoirs which are placed in the channels which each reservoir release the individual odoriferous substance only when it is to be dispersed.
Each channel has one inlet aperture and one outlet aperture and allows unrestricted passage of a gas (air) stream introduced via the inlet aperture. The inlet and outlet apertures of the channels are gastight sealed until the odoriferous substance of an individual channel is released by rupture of the appropriate seals of the channel and/or by rupture of the appropriate reservoir if the substance is introduced in the channels in afore mentioned reservoirs.
This device allows the diffusion of a scent coincident with the showing of films or videos, and/or in combination with playing music, thus offering a complete audio-visual olfactory experience.
The production of the diskette is very laborious and, hence, very expensive because a lot of manufacturing steps are involved and, further, some steps must be performed very precisely, especially those of the gastight sealings and/or the introduction of the reservoirs into the channels. Each odoriferous substance can only be used once because after rupture of the apertures and/or the reservoir by the first use of one specific channel this might allow unrestricted and uncontrolled, respectively, passage of a gas (air) stream, i.e. uncontrolled flow of the odoriferous substance being introduced in that channel.
According to the present invention, there is provided an odor dispensing device and an odor dispensing cartridge which both are simple and, hence, can be easily producted and therefore are inexpensive.
According to the invention the odor dispensing device comprises an odor dispensing device comprising a housing and a disc shaped cartridge adapted to move around its rotation axis and having a plurality of discrete radically arranged compartments, each compartment containing an odorant on an odorant carrier, said housing containing means for positioning the cartridge, means for producing an airstream to a pre-selected compartment in response to a signal emanating from a computer control module, a microprocessor, an optical system or a timing mechanism and means for temporarily subjecting the odor carrier within the compartment to the airstream so that an odor is discharged from the cartridge and entrained in the airstream wherein the cartridge has a basic body with bottom and compartments separated by walls, (a) which compartments can be tightly closed and opened by covers working in axial direction of the cartridge and against the flow of the airstream whereby in the closure position the covers are pressed on opening edges of the walls, or (b) which each compartment has a closable inlet aperture and an interrelated closable outlet aperture for passing of a part the airstream, thereby in the opening position in both cases (a) and (b) picking up the particular scent of the odorant on the odorant carrier which scented airstream is then discharged into the surrounding air of the housing.
According to the invention the odor dispensing cartridge comprises a basic body with bottom and a plurality of discrete radically arranged compartments separated by walls, each compartment containing an odorant on an odorant carrier, and (a) can be tightly closed and opened by covers working in axial direction of the cartridge whereby in the closure position the covers are pressed on opening edges of the walls, or (b) which each compartment has a closable inlet aperture and an interrelated closable outlet aperture.
According to a first aspect of the invention, the signals emanate from a computer control module and in response to a signal the cartridge is oriented and operated such that the airstream is led to a pre-selected compartment containing the required odorant on the odorant carrier picking up the particular scent and discharging it.
According to a second aspect of the invention the signals emanate from a timing mechanism, or alternativel, from an optical system.
Preferably the device is provided with two selectively operable actuating means which control entry of the airstream into each compartment. In an especially preferred embodiment, the selectively operable actuating means are pin operated responsive to signals emanating from the computer control module.